Regular vs stiff flex shafts. What’s right for you?

Golf is hard enough without choosing the wrong equipment. To get the best out of your clubs it’s vital that you have the correct clubs for you. Forget all the marketing, it’s all about finding clubs that make it easier for you to swing and hit the ball.

This is why getting custom fitted is so important for the individual golfer to get the best performance out a set of clubs. You need your clubs to work with your swing and not against it.

As a golfer, you have a choice of shafts.

You can use regular shafts and you can use stiff shafts, there’s also some extra stiff shafts available too. You don’t want to be finding yourself in the situation where the shafts on your clubs are either

Too light for you

Too flexible for you

Too heavy for you

Too stiff for you

If any of these are applicable to you, you really need to get your clubs checked by a local professional.

Regular shafts vs stiff shafts

As a golfer, you want to be matching your golf swing with the most suitable shaft flex which will help you to hit the ball further and with more control too.

It’s generally assumed the higher the smash factor of the golfer (this is how much power is being generated from the club head hitting the ball), the stiffer your shafts should be.

You don’t want to be confusing swing speed with smash factor. Swing speed can be confusing because there’s golfers who are swinging fast but who don’t generate as much energy compared to other golfers who are slower with a better technique.

Should I have a regular or stiff shaft driver?

Most shafts are about 50g

The torque of the shaft is also important. The torque is how much twist you have in the shaft. What’s common, how many degrees? Some have 5 some have 3.

In the stiffer shafts there’s less torque, which means there’s less twisting action in the golf swing. You want the head of your club to be as stable as possible when impacting the ball.

If you’ve got a fast swing then you have to understand how the driver is reacting. When the shaft is too flexible you’ll find the shaft bends backwards. This leads to hitting the ball with a closed club face.

When you use a stiffer shaft, you’ll notice more stability in the club head.

With our students, these are the key takeaways you want to know.

By using a stiffer shaft driver they are getting more distance. Not huge amounts, but you can expect to see 5, 10, 15 yards difference in your drive.

The biggest benefit is usually in the shot dispersion. With the shot dispersion which relates to how much off centre your ball lands our golfers are becoming much more consistent.

The Golf School

Please contact us if you require more information. We offer golfer’s help with their game 7 days a week helping golfers from across the North West to achieve the golf swing that they want. You can use the contact form, send us an e-mail or give us a ring during regular business hours. If we don’t get back to you right away we’re probably teaching.

Open 7 Days a Week

Monday/Friday 7 / 21:00
Saturday 7 / 19:00
Sunday 8 / 18:00

4 Teaching Bays

Our group lessons have the capacity for four students making it perfect for learning in bite-size chunks.